Military platforms may have lifecycles extending over dozens of years. Over the platform's lifecycle, it may be desirable to adapt the platform to operate with new systems.
However, the investment to engineer, test and certify the new system may make adoption impractical. For example, integrating a new missile system into an existing, certified aircraft platform can involve new software to control the missile system, new hardware to mount the missile system to the aircraft, and new interfaces to exchange information with the missile system. In addition, new tests may need to be conducted to ensure operability of the system and certify it for use in the field.